f 


\ 


\  s 


L 

WE  i 


Richmond,  June  8  th,  1877. 

To  Gen’l  Wm.  Mahone,  Petersburg ,  Va.  \ 

General : 

The  undersigned  respectfully  desire 
to  know  your  views  on  the  Penitentiary-Convict- Labor- 
Ouestion — how  its  competition  with  honest  labor  may  be 
prevented,  and  the  effect  of  the  remedy  upon  the  general 
welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  Commonwealth. 

An  early  reply  will  greatly  oblige, 

Yours  respectfully, 


George  Perrin, 
William  Lynch, 
Tiios.  Fitzpatrick, 
John  McCaffrey, 

J.  H.  Brooks, 

Sam’l  F.  McGrhee, 
A.  T.  Minor, 
Daniel  Challoner, 
Patrick  PI.  Woods, 
H.  R.  Miller, 

W.  H.  Gary, 

W.  B.  Hoge, 

Wm.  B.  Cook, 

W.  H.  Haley, 

C.  Wendlinger, 

And  fifty- 


A.  W.  Tyree, 

James  Fleming, 
James  Dillon, 
Thomas  Faning, 
William  Desney, 
Geo.  G.  Matthews, 
James  Howel, 

James  Diamond, 
John  Holloway, 

D.  Smith  Redford, 
Louis  A.  Beiile, 
Albert  Rose, 

Wm.  B.  Cook,  Jr., 
John  W.  Gentry, 
John  H.  Baptist, 
wo  others. 


Your  earnest  consideration  is  solicited.  A  full  and 
free  expression  of  opinion  is  desired. 

JUL.  L  WRIGHT, 

Director- General  Workingmen' s  League ,  <&v. 


June  20th,  1877. 


/ 


Petersburg,  Va.,  21st  June ,  1877 . 

Gentleman  : 

Free  as  I  feel  to  express  any  opinion  I  have, 
when  it  would  not  be  an  intrusion,  I  have  had  and  sin¬ 
cerely  have,  an  aversion  to  any  parade  of  myself  belore 
the  public.  This  disposition  led  me,  some  days  ago,  to 
refuse  permission  for  the  publication  of  some  views  1 
had  hurriedly  expressed  in  connection  with  the  subject 
on  which  you  specifically  desire  to  know  my  position. 

The  immediate  interests  you  have  in  the  matter,  enti¬ 
tle  you  to  a  respectful  consideration,  and  to  compliance 
with  the  requests  submitted.  Briefly  then,  in  response 
to  your  wish,  I  beg  to  say: 

I.  That  some  other  resort  should  be  found  for  the 
useful  employment  of  our  “Penitentiary  Convicts”  than 
in  conflict  with  honest  labour — skilled  and  unskilled— 
whether  in  the  granite  quarries  or  upon  other  fields  of 
private  enterprise.  It  is  surely  not  the  interest  of  the 
State  to  wage  such  an  unfriendly  competition  against  a 
large  and  essential  class  of  her  people,  ^nd  in  depression 
of  her  industrial  developement,  as  comes  from  that  use 
of  her  convicts. 

The  mere  return  in  the  way  of  hire  from  that  manner 
of  employment  of  them,  falls  beneath  the  dignity  of  the 
Commonwealth — in  the  face  of  the  injury  which  it 
works  to  an  industry  and  enterprise  it  is  to  her  better 
and  more  permanent  prosperity  and  her  duty  to  en¬ 
courage  and  foster. 

II.  Better — infinitely  better — for  all  the  State,  that 
those  unfortunate  people  should  be  employed  upon  the 
extension  of  the  Kanal  and  in  the  construction  of  new 


4 


works  for  the  convenience  of  the  people  and  the  devel- 
opement  of  her  resources;  and  in  the  formation  of  an 
improved  system  of  country  roads. 


There  is  no  application  of  the  surplus  labour  of  the 
Penitentiary  which  would  yield  indirectly  but  certainly 
a  larger  return  to  the  State  than  that  to  the  formation 
of  improved  country  roads.  Nothing  would  so  quickly 
inspire  improvement  wherever  they  were  made,  advance 
values,  and  bring  to  us  a  class  of  settlers  most  needed. 
Nothing  would  promote  more  earnestly  the  expansion 
of  any  of  our  cities  and  towns  than  well-improved  roads 
leading  from  them;  and  the  return  from  enhanced  values 
would  shortly  be  yielding  the  Commonwealth  a  hand¬ 
some,  permanent  hire  for  a  labour,  as  now  employed  of 
but  little  and  only  temporary  moment. 

I  am,  gentlemen, 

Very  respectfully,  &c., 

WM.  MAHONE. 

ffjB.h  •  v/iio  J  ~  f  nrt  :•  x  i-y  '  !•.  r  toifern  talc  cm  imoaii 


To  Jul.  L.  WrighT,  Director-General,  &c.,  Messrs.  Geo.  Perrin, 


:o 


C-i-J 


A.  W.  Tyree,  Jno.  W.  Gentry,  J.  H.  Brooks,  ^nd  others, 


MriBn 

r  .  ^ 

T 

i  /iOrrr 


$ 


. .  .  .. 

i  !■  !  ■! 

'  \  V. 


hi 


,1  !•  -I'1 


i  •  m 
t  16 
"  r 


.  iH  i  ( 
7  fi( 


'  -  -  # 


J  \  }  : 


tjtkl 


